Slot machine and attachment therefor



Feb. 9, 1932. E. A. NAHM SLOT MACHINE AND ATTACHMENT THEREFOR 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 6, 1928 f wwwm mm a mw 5% m w/MH w M in e55Patented Feb. 9, 1932 EUGENE A. NAHM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS SLOT MACHINEAND ATTACHMENT THEREFOR Application filed August 6, 1928. Serial No.297,879.

This invention relates in general to coin slot machines and has moreparticular reference to slot machines of the type used for receivingcoins and slugs.

A principal object of the invention is in the provision of means forreceiving coins and slugs of a certain size and excluding those of adifferent or larger size.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a removableattachment for receiving optionally slugs of different sizes, excludingthose of larger dimensions.

A special object of the invention is in the provision of an attachmentfor fare and fee registering slot machines which may be applied toconventional devices of this kind for accurately registering fares andfees and tending to prevent falsification of the fare and fee returns.

A still further object of the invention is in the provision of a numberof removable coin slot attachments, each adapted to receive optionallytwo or more slugs of different sizes, which may be interchanged for'varying the rate of fare or fee which the slot machine is intended toreceive.

Other objects will appear hereinafter, the drawing illustrating apreferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a coin slotmachineshowing this attachment applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevationalview of the structure of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a coinslot mechanism and this attachment therefor; Fig. 4

is a perspective of the attachment with one of the plates removed; Fig.5 is a fragmentary perspective of that part of the coin slot mechanismwhich receives and cooperates with this removable attachment; Fig. 6 isa sectional view of the removable attachment;

Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are face and elevational views of specialtokens or slugs used in connection with the present invention.

In places of amusement such as theaters, halls and shows of variouskinds, it is the usual practice to sell tickets at a booth which aresubsequently tendered by the purchaser at the entrance of the amusementplace where they are deposited or received by an attendant to be.deposited in a suitable receptacle.

In selling and depositin paper tickets, it is sometimes not very di cultto withdraw or withhold some of the tickets tendered, returning them tothe cashier for resale, the money received for these tickets beingdishonestly shared among those party to the transaction.

The present invention is intended to provide a substitute for tickets byproviding tokens or slugs of predetermined value. These tokens or slugsmay be operative to ring a bell or cause other visible or audible signsor sounds, indicating that a certain fare has been paid.

In the present invention a coin chute is provided which will exclude allUnited States coins and will only admit tokens of two species, one ofwide face diameter but thin,

and the other comparatively thick and of smaller face diameter. Thepurpose of this is to enable the management of the amusementplace toprovide means for receiving and registering two different fares, as forexample a half fare for children and the usual full fare for adults,also to provide a correct check of admission fees received even thoughthe rates of admission are changed at certain hours of the day. A. coinregistering mechanism in which a bell or other signalling means givesnotice that a token of the proper value has been inserted not onlyindicates to the patron and the owner of the place of amusement that thefare or fee has been received but it also provides to a certain extent aremedy against collusion between thedoor tender and the cashier.

Referring more particularly to the drawin gs, a coin receiving mechanismA has a casing 15'slidably mounted on rods 16 and 17 secured at theirends in flanges 18 and 19 of a plate 20 which in turn is attached byscrew bolts 21 to a double plate 22 having a bracket 23. The bracketprovides a mounting for a member 24 pivoted on abar 25 and resilientlyactuated by a spring 26. The member 24 c0- acts with a bar 27 pivoted inlugs 28 extending from the slidable casing 15. On another bracket 30attached to the lower end of plate 22, a rocking member 31 is pivotedhaving 7 described to provide an operative connection for the coin slotattachment B which is connected to the upper part of plate 22. The plate22 is provided with adjacent channels 34, 35 of dilferent dimensionswhich are adapted to register with similar channels in the removableattachment B, those in the plate 22, however, being of a size to rece1vethe largest slugs which are admitted by any of a number of removableattachments B which are applied to the coin mechanism A.

Each attachment B comprises two plates 36 and'37 riveted or otherwisesuitably joined together having a pair of pins 38, 39 at opposite endsof a slot formed by two downwardly projecting ends of the plates, theslot being adapted to receive theupper end of the double plate 22, thepins 38, 39 serving as guides to secure the attachment B to the plate 22which is provided on its upper. end with reduced shoulders 43, 44 forclosely receiving the attachment. 7

As shown in Figures 4 and 6, plate 37 has a central recess or channel 40havingshoulders 41. 42'which provide means for receiving two tokens orslugs, one of a larger face diameter than the other; and the other ofgreater thickness than the first one. i

' 'The inner wall or channel of the double plate 22, as shownmore-clearly in Figure 5,

is also provided with a central channel 34 having side shoulders 46, 47whereby a wider channel 35 is formed so that when an attachment B isfitted atthe top of the plate 22 the channels of the attachment andplate will register for the proper reception of the special tokens orslugs.

At the top of each attachment B is a curved and bevelled coin receivingrecess 50 which nables the purchaser or an attendant to'ins'ert thecoins or slugs uickly and accuratelv into the coin chute out, eachattachment will receive a coin comparatively thick but of smallerdiameter, and a larger one of a comparatively wide-face diameter butrelatively thin. The chute ust 'described is intended to exclude allUnited States coins or coins of other countries as by graduating thesizes of the tokens and correspondingly varying; the sizes of theattachments. One coin receiving mechanism is sutlicient to accommodateanumber of difi'erent admission feescor rates of fare, and theseattachments eliminate the possibility-of receivinq' a low rate periodtoken during the high 7 rate period.

The'tokens varyinsize for different values, the larger tokens, as shownbyFigures 10, 11 and 12, being larger for each smaller value reverselyin accordance with their values as As pointed than it is for largervalues, and the small tokens, as shown by Figures 7,8 and 9, varying inthe same manner. The amount of variation between the tokensis veryslight, being usually but a few hundredths of an inch and not apparentby inspection of these figures without actually applying a scale tothem. By providing a separateadapter for the one large token, as shownin Figures 10, 11 and 12 and for one small token as shown by Figures 9,8and 7 a convenient means is afforded for receiving half fare and fullfare at the same time. By varying these adapters the tokens receivedthereby are also varied; for example, the full fare in an amusementplace is fifty cents up to a certain time of day and a dollarthereafter, by making a one dollar adapter for tokens of smallerdiameter, the fifty cent tokens cannot be received through the onedollar adapter.

There may be times when it is desirable toreceive United States or othercurrency, and at such time the channels of the adapter are varied insize accordingly. Generally spea ing the removable attachment of thepresent invention and the method described is particularly valuable whenitis formed to admit tokens or slugs varying in size but hereindescribed and illustrated.

It is obvious that various changes maybe made in the construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. For example,

each attachment may have channels for a plurality of slugs graduated indiameter and thickness, and slugs may be made with projectionsordepressions and the channels formed accordingly so that tokens of morethan two different values may be receivedoptionally. I A I claim: 7 i 1.In combination with a coin slot mechanism, of a series ofinterchangeable attachments therefor, each attachment having a channelshaped'to receive optionally differ entsized slugs, and the channels ofthe series being relatively graduated in sizereverselv to the value ofthe slugs. V 2. The combination with a coin slot mechanism, ofapluralityof separatebut interchangeable attachments therefor, eachattachment having a slug opening and the openings of the attachmentsbeing relative- 3. A device of the kind described, comprising a coinslot mechanism in combination with a removable attachment therefor, saidcoin slot mechanism having a part formed to receive said removableattachment, channels in said partregistering with channels in saidattachment, said channels being of sizes to optionally receivedifferently sized slugs insertable Within said channels.

4. A device of the kind described comprising, in combination, a coinslot mechanism having an upper wall recessed to provide adjoiningchannels; an attachment removably secured to said upper wall, saidattachment having channels registering with the channels of the saidwall, whereby means are provided to receive slugs of different sizes,while excluding larger and thicker coins and slugs.

5. A two-value admission and prepayment system for tokens representingvalues graduated in size reversely to the values of the tokens,comprisin a plurality of removable and interchangea le coin slotattachments, each attachment having a single slot shaped to receiveoptionally two different sized tokens, one representing a full fee oradmission charge and the other a partial fee or admission charge, andthe difierent attachments having relatively difi'erent shaped slotswhereby the admission fees at different times of the day and fordifi'erent days may be varied.

6. A two-value admission system for tokens representing values,comprising a fare box having a transmission slot, and a plurality oftoken receiving attachments therefor which are interchangeable and haverelatively differently shaped slots whereby the admission fees atdifi'erent times of the day and for different days may be varied.

7. A two-value admission system in accordance with claim 6 in which eachof the interchangeable attachments has slots varying relatively in size,reversely to the indicated values of the tokens to be received, wherebytokens of lower value cannot be inserted in slots intended for tokens oflarger value.

EUGENE A. N AHM.

